1964 Topps #356 Reds Rookie Stars - Bill McCool / Chico Ruiz
On this card: Bill McCool, Chico Ruiz
Card is recognized as Billy McCool's rookie card.
About this card
This is one of the fifty-seven two-player Rookie Stars cards in the 1964 Topps set: fifty-three pair two prospects from one club, and the four league cards (#548, #564, #568 and #572) pair prospects from two clubs. Every one of them is a rookie card for at least one of its two players.
The story on this card
McCool's first Topps card came out during his 1964 debut season, in which the 19-year-old went on to finish 6-5 with a 2.42 ERA and seven saves out of the Cincinnati bullpen, earning National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year honors. Card 356, a Rookie Stars issue from the fourth series, pairs him with fellow Reds rookie Chico Ruiz. It stands as McCool's recognized rookie card. Cincinnati Reds lefty reliever who broke in at 19 in 1964 and was named National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year; a 1966 All-Star closer whose promising career was cut short by a knee injury.
Ruiz won Cincinnati's third-base job out of spring training in 1964 on speed and defense and debuted on April 13, but he hit .213 over 21 games there and was shipped back to San Diego, returning in late July to spell Pete Rose at second. His card that year, #356 in the fourth series, is a two-man Reds rookie panel shared with Bill McCool, a 19-year-old left-hander who reached the majors on April 24 and was named The Sporting News National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year that season. Hobby checklists treat the card as McCool's rookie issue, Ruiz having already been introduced a year earlier. Chico Ruiz was a light-hitting Reds and Angels utility infielder remembered above all for stealing home off Art Mahaffey on September 21, 1964, the daring play that launched the Phillies' historic ten-game collapse in that year's NL pennant race.
Sources: Wikipedia (Bill McCool) · Wikipedia (Chico Ruiz) · SABR BioProject (Billy Mccool) · SABR BioProject (Chico Ruiz 2) · Baseball Almanac (Chico Ruiz)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 298 | 2 | 44 | 159 | 55 | 20 | 9 | 6 | 3 |
| SGC | 8 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-09-04. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
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Related cards
Team card: #403 Cincinnati Reds
More Cincinnati Reds cards:
- #3 1963 National League Pitching Leaders
- #5 1963 National League Strikeout Leaders
- #33 Reds 1964 Rookie Stars
- #49 Bill Henry
- #72 Chico Cardenas
- #80 Vada Pinson
- #106 Joe Nuxhall
- #125 Pete Rose
- #144 Al Worthington
- #162 Hitting Area
- #166 Marty Keough
- #185 Jim O'Toole
- #207 Fred Hutchinson
- #233 Hal Smith
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1964 Topps #356 card?
It is card #356 of the 587-card 1964 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bill McCool and Chico Ruiz. This is one of the fifty-seven two-player Rookie Stars cards in the 1964 Topps set: fifty-three pair two prospects from one club, and the four league cards (#548, #564, #568 and #572) pair prospects from two clubs. Every one of them is a rookie card for at least one of its two players.
Is 1964 Topps #356 a rookie card?
Yes - #356 is the rookie card of Bill McCool. Chico Ruiz had already appeared on an earlier Topps card, so it is not his rookie card.
How many cards are in the 1964 Topps Baseball set?
587 cards, tracked as 589 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 587 with no gaps, and no number carries two different cards; two cards - #4, the A.L. Pitching Leaders, and #517, the seventh-series checklist - carry a catalogued back variation that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, The Topps Archives, Baseball Almanac, Baseball-Reference, the SABR BioProject and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-11.